Balonans see community college journalism sophomore Patella and graduating high school senior Claire as spectacularly different from each other. Patella is poor and neither pretty nor bright. Claire is rich, exceptionally intelligent, artistically talented, and beautiful. Patella feels and is hot; Claire thinks and is cool. But the two find the beginnings of friendship with each other despite their differences. The story is presented in the two voices.

CLICK if it's your pleasure to hear one of Claire's favorites, Pachelbel's Canon in D !

Here is a passage from BUDS. Patella describes another one of those "Mom Quizzes/Counsels Daughter" conversations:

   About my recent experience with the law that had put me in a grouchy mood, my own mom gave me a funny look the other night. "Where you been at night lately?" she went, looking also sort of suspicious, not unusual for my mom--or any math teacher.

   "I been out with a friend, studying wildfowls on the levee."
   "You dit'n drive Barney?"
   "I dit'n, no."
   "And until midnight?"
   "That's when the wildfowls come out." I didn't really lie, since there are quite a few wildfowls out there. Not that I paid any attention to them at the time.
   "I thought you were gonna be a journalist. When did you start getting interested in birds?"
   "Not birds in general, just wildfowls. You know. A journalist has got to be interested in a bunch of stuff."
   She grumped but didn't say much more right away. She messed with some of her correcting-papers. "Men will take every advantage, y'know, Patella. Don't roll your eyes. I know what I'm talking about. So does everybody else in Balona, beginning this morning."
   I knew right away she was talking about how Constable Cod happened to drive by and stop out on the levee under the same willow tree the other night where me and Hanky were sort of talking and et cetera. The car windows had got all foggy from our enthusiasm, so Hanky had to roll his down when Cod banged on the car top with his flashlight. Made us both jump and shriek.
   "You got another new one already, eh, Henry? Hey, it's Patella!" Cod went, shining his light at my boobs which I right away covered up. "You lost, Patella?" He was making a joke, since I was obviously right there and not lost at all. "You better put your sweats back on, or you will catch cold," he went, being humorous again.
   Then he chewed Hanky out and told him he ought to put his shirt on, too, and go back to mixing up prescriptions instead of mixing up young women who don't know their butt from their big toe. Words to that effect. Cod himself mixes up his words, so part of how he said it was funny, and I sort of squeaked out a laugh.
   Hanky almost tore up a tire turning around and getting out of there. He didn't say a word all the way back. He let me off on Front Street and I had to walk home in the dark and mist, since Balona's got streetlights set a long ways apart, to save the town money. But the worst part was Cod, how he was so indiscreet. No ethics at all. First thing he probably did, he went over to Mr. D. H. Carp's Groceries & Sundries where my daddy has his job and blabbed. A lot of customers probably heard.

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The music for this page of Balona Books is "Canon in D" by Pachelbel
Transcription for two guitars by Richard Yates